Brian May recently recited John Lennon’s ‘Alec Speaking’ as a tribute to the late Beatle. He posted the video on Instagram and wrote:
“I contributed this little reading to a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the publication of a little book of original poems called ‘In His Own Write’—by the brilliant Beatles man John Lennon. The invitation came from Tim Quinn—an old friend from the days when I worked on the Amazing Spiderman radio series with amazing author Dirk Maggs.”
May wasn’t sure about joining the celebration at first because he thought he couldn’t do Lennon’s writing justice. The guitarist explained what changed his mind:
“In the beginning, I said—‘No, I can’t do it, because it needs to be done in a Liverpudlian accent.’ I also didn’t feel I could perform ‘Good Dog, Nigel,’ because I found it upsetting when the book was released, when I was young, and I still find it upsetting now. But then Tim sent me this lovely piece—and I remembered it well, and could somehow hear it in my head. So, I did a couple of takes on my trusted iPhone and sent it along to be part of the celebrations.”
He continued:
“I actually never expected to see it on Instagram, and had no intentions of taking it any further, but, since it’s already been posted, I thought I should share it with you guys. Lennon had a particular talent for speaking in oddly mangled English, which could perhaps be compared with Lewis Caroll’s ‘Jabberwocky,’ or the ramblings of Stanley Unwin. You can hear it, too, in some of John’s songs—notably ‘I Am The Walrus.’ I will forever be a Beatles fan. Enjoy!”
Fans Loved The Tribute
John Lennon’s ‘In His Own Write’ came out in 1964 as a collection of nonsense poems, short stories, and illustrations. Fans praised Brian May’s take on ‘Alec Speaking’ under his recent post:
“I was obsessed with Lennon’s writings as a teenager… and this is one of my favourites! Thank you, Bri, great reading!”
The late Beatle took inspiration from Lewis Carroll and Stanley Unwin’s works to create this book. A fan noted that rhythm was ‘very important’ for the 20 rhymes in it. They added:
“Brian reads it perfectly.”
Another comment read:
“Amazing poetry by the legendary John Lennon. Read by the legendary Sir Brian May. So wonderful to see you and hear your voice.”
The tribute video was May’s first Instagram post since February 29. So, someone said:
“Aww, so lovely to see you again, dear Bri! You are looking as lovely as ever! John Lennon was really a great poet! Love hearing you read this to us. Hope you are well and happy.”
Check out the Queen guitarist’s rendition here.